Fitchburg boy leads firefighters to dad trapped in car in river

FITCHBURG — An 8-year-old boy who was riding with his father early Thursday morning is being credited with leading firefighters to their wrecked car in the Nashua River.

The boy's father was trapped inside.

Deputy Fire Chief Brian F. Belliveau said it is a miracle the two survived what must have been a harrowing crash about 3 a.m.

He said the car "threaded the needle," taking out a small piece of guardrail at 1 Oakhill Road that allowed it to fly over the river then crash about 18 feet onto a sandbar halfway across the racing water.

The deputy chief said the boy freed himself, waded through a shallower, slow-moving section of the river, then scaled a steep embankment and walked more than a half mile home, traversing a rotary on his way.

If the car had landed in the water, the pair likely would have died, he said.

Firefighters used a roof ladder to reach the car and rescue the boy's father.